Blood drive Friday will honor injured Saint Martin's College student

Thursday, August 28, 2003

Lacey, Wash. - The Saint Martin’s College community will have a blood drive in the name of Saint Martin’s student Shelley Harder Friday at the College’s Worthington Conference Center, 5300 Pacific Ave. SE. Blood can be given anytime between 9 and 11:15 a.m. or noon and 3 p.m. Appointments are needed, and can be made by contacting Susan Leyster, the college’s Campus Ministry director, at 360-438-4581; leysters@stmartin.edu.

Harder, of Everson, Wash., remains in intensive care at Seattle’s Harborview Hospital following an Aug. 19 accident in which was critically injured. She was working on an I-5 overpass as a flagger when the driver of a pickup truck struck a construction barrel. Harder either tried to jump out of the way or was knocked over the railing by the collision, landing about 35 feet below. She suffered multiple broken bones, head injuries and internal injuries, requiring 23 units of blood before internal bleeding could be controlled. The driver of the vehicle failed to stop and has not been found.

A biology major who wants to become a physical therapist, Harder is a sophomore at Saint Martin’s, and a dean’s list student. An outstanding athlete, she redshirted onto the college’s basketball team as a freshman and was considered by Coach Tim Healy as a key player in the upcoming season.

Teammates, fellow students and faculty who have just returned for the beginning of classes this week at the college are considering other avenues in the coming weeks to show their support for Harder, who is expected to remain in intensive care for about two more weeks.

For more information:
Susan Leyster
Campus Ministry director
360-438-4581; leysters@stmartin.edu

Deanna Partlow
Senior editor; media relations coordinator
360-438-4541 or dpartlow@stmartin.edu